Guardian Hick
by YouStarteldTheSister
Summary: Read my short fic Holding On before you read this.  Ellis is gone, but he's never far away, and as Nick makes his way through the hell of day to day life in a zombie apocalypse he knows when Ellis is there. Rated M for the flashbacks.- DONE
1. The Bomb

_It's finally here! some kind of beginning to the story behind my short fic "Holding On" I'm sorry it took me so long to get this to the people that have read it. I just went brain dead for awhile... but now that I have "Poker and Peaches" to work on too I'll probably hurry and finish this one._

* * *

"Nick! watch out!"

The con man turned around just in time to see the jet fly past, the bomb fall from the sky, getting dangerously closer and closer.

"Nick sweetie move!"

The screams of his friend's reached his ears but he was frozen eyes trained on the falling object. Something telling him that it was too close that he was in a dangerous spot and needed to move. He shut his eyes as the impacted happened and the metal exploded not two feet away from him, the ground vibrated and Nick waited to feel the sharpnel dig into his body. He had come so far, changed so much just to have God finally laugh and kill him here, where there was a safehouse around the corner and the bridge that lead them to safety beyond that.

But Nick was never touched the metal flew past him some even got stuck in the ground in front of his feet yet he didn't even get so much as a thread out of place. He opened his eyes and almost wondered how such a miracle could have happened, but then the smell of oil filled his nose. A sad smile found it's way onto Nick's face and his eyes scanned the area almost hoping he'd see something this time. But nothing had changed there was no shimmer of light, no figure in the distance, not even a movement in the corner of his eye. Nick's shoulders slumped and the smell of oil started to fade making Nick's eyes water his hand slowly raise up like he thought about reaching out.

"Ellis..."

It wasn't like Nick to cry, he'd only done so a handful of times in his life. But he missed that stupid boy so much and his broken heart hadn't had time to heal. The tears didn't always fall but they always showed up. It was like they were called by the reminder of the one thing in the world he'd ever cared about more then himself. Ellis had been killed Nick did the job himself, it was the only true act of love he could show the boy, and now he regretted spending the trip being a total ass when there could have been so much more.

"Nick! NICK! what's wrong? you get hit in the head or something?."

Dropping his hand back down to his side Nick blinked brought out of his thoughts to see Rochelle and Coach standing infront of him. They both had worried looks on their faces, eyes travelling over him to see if there was a visable injury. He wasn't sure if he had cried or not, but he didn't feel any wet trails on his cheeks so he quessed not, but he still felt his lips twisted upwards that sad little smile still on his face.

"No.. I'm arlight."

"Didn't even touch you did it? Damn Nick you got some kind of luck"

Coach whistled and the three of them walked away. The con man being the only one to look back at the crater and sharpnel graveyard, the smile being replaced by his trademark smirk. Coach was wrong, it wasn't luck that had kept him safe.. it was Ellis.

His own little guardian hick.


	2. The Bad Night

_I haven't updated as often as I said I would, so I tried my best._

_Forgive me for my failure with this chapter.._

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_"GOD DAMNIT ELLIS! AS IF THE ZOMBIES WEREN'T BAD ENOUGH!." _

_Another bullet whizzed by, just missing his left arm by mere inches. That was when Nick whirled around pointing both pistols right at the hick's face, ready to teach the boy a lesson about shooting con men instead of zombies, and that's when his heart almost stopped. Ellis' face had heated up as a small blush appeared, simple add on to the sheepish grin that had spread across his face._

_"Well hell Nick I don't mean ta shoot ya! just gotta stop walking in front of the bullets you know?."_

Green eyes slowly opened, the body shivered against the cold of the concrete floor, and a sleepy mind could almost make out a smiling face laying there next to him.

"Ellis?"

Nick instantly snapped to attention and a shaky hand reached out to touch that warm cheek he had missed so badly, but as his hand hit thin air the image faded away, and once again the con man was alone. He bit his lip to keep the tears back and pushed himself up into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his legs as he curled up into a ball and rested his chin on his knees. Fighting the ache in his chest Nick took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, focusing on other things in the room in an attempt to take his mind off the one thing he didn't really want to forget. A loud snore from the far corner told him Coach was still sound asleep, Ro's soft breathing was a little harder to make out, but if he trained his hearing on that one sound he heard her. She was sound asleep as well probably hiding in a sleeping bag by the door, they were both wore out from a hard day of fighting. Why couldn't he sleep like that? why did he have to be the one that always woke in the middle of the night? shaken from a dream he didn't want to be brought out of.

But Nick already knew the answer, he'd always known the answer, ever since that first night back on the boat. There was something missing, something so vitally important to his life that he just couldn't function right without it anymore. That soft sound of senseless whispers was gone, that sound of nonsense words being whispered into his ear as Ellis slept beside him. He'd taken it for granted the last time they'd slept together falling asleep quickly instead of staying up a bit to listen to the sweet words. Now he'd never get that chance again. That feeling of want, the feeling of need that came with missing that moment, it was one of the worst things he'd ever felt.

"Fuck Ellis.."

_"Well hell Nick.."_

The con man's eyes flew open expecting to see the boy's face close to his, feel that warmth of their bodies so close to each other again, but there was nothing. At first his shoulders slumped, but Nick couldn't shake the feeling that he really had heard Ellis speak. Closing his eyes he tried again to see if he would get an answer.

"Ellis?..."

"...Ellis?..."

"Please..."

He cried himself to sleep.


	3. The Flashback

_"RO!"_

_ The tank came out of nowhere, and the poor woman never stood a chance. One swing from the monster infected and she was sent flying through the air and over the guard rail. He didn't have the time to see what happened from there, but the sound of a splash gave him a pretty good idea. Something in the back of his mind hoped she was ok, that she'd been concious and able to break to the surface and swim to shore. But something else to him that she was too far gone, and that he'd probably never see her again.. _

_ They got away from the tank, but he still lost the big guy to a smoker. They'd gotten swarmed, covered in commons that must have been piled up in them greyhounds or something, he'd heard Coach shout for him to shoot it but there was no way.. there was just too many of them.. but as quick as they came they were gone. The last one falling to the ground with a thud, but there was no saving him, three sickening cracks and an even bigger thud for a larger dead body hitting the ground reached his ears, and all he could do was growl.. a growl of anger and pain that no infected could make._

_ The smoker died a cruel death, and he'd just started clearing a path across the bridge again when his heart sank, the helicopter that was suppose to save them was taking off. He could hear the sounds of the blades rotating even over the infected, the wind carrying the sounds from so far away._

_They'd wasted too much time.._

_he'd never get rescued now..._

_Yet there it was, that smell, that sense of protection that had kept him going this long, kept him from harm. Ellis was here, keeping him safe even as his legs wobbled and gave out, leaving him open and uncaring to any and all infected attacks. But why was he here? what did it matter if he was safe now? the chopper was gone and he'd been left to fend for himself.. probably condemned by the soliders to die here on this very bridge._

_ Those hopeless thoughts brought on a sense of survival, a vice like grip on life he didn't think he posessed. He WOULD get off this goddamn bridge, he WOULD find a place to hide.. he WOULD survive this zombie apocalypse and show those goverment assholes that he didn't need them anyway. Picking up his pistols he stood up turning back to go the way he came, staring down that long stretch of destoryed concrete and metal with a new found determination.. he could almost feel the boy nod in approval from somewhere to his right, about to disappear..._

_And the army bombed the bridge._


	4. The Plan

_I must be more rusty then I thought. But I guess this is what happens when you don't have a plan and you just sit at the computer and stare at the screen until you think of some kind of update because you know people are waiting on you and you've taken too long already.._

_anyway I love you guys, here's the next chapter.  
_

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How long had he been here?, how long had be been alone?. Nick had lost count of the days, couldn't tell you how long it had been since he woke up on that riverbank soaking wet and getting away with nothing more then some bruises and a near broken ankle. Seems Ellis had been determined to let him live, but why? what could possibly be here for him?. Surely Ro or Coach had deserved this chance more then he did. He'd killed people after all, conned them out of their money, and been an ass to anyone that tried to care about him. He'd even been mean to Ellis the sweet little hick that had done nothing but love you in return.

At first he'd done nothing but lay on the muddy bank, to dazed from his recent near death experience to do much. But after coming to his senses Nick managed to drag himself up completely out of the water and up the bank, back up onto the streets of New Orleans. It didn't seem to matter that he was weaponless apparently he looked so much like a zombie that the others didn't even bother him. But even so having something to protect himself became top priority. Hobbling along on his good leg until he found an M16 laying next to a dead body.

The gun was heavier then he remembered but Nick managed with it well enough. After breaking into a locked store and finding a first aid kit he patched himself up and made a makeshift splint for his leg so he could have an easier time with his ankle. Drinking a bottle of water he found behind the counter he nibbled on a snake cake he also found there, and set down to make a plan any kind of plan just some kind of plan for the future. When he had been angry before he'd swore he'd make it here on his own, and apparently that was what he was suppose to do. Why else would he survive an explosion like that?.

First thing he needed was more weapons, and a safer place to hide. After that he'd need to make supply runs and gather up as much as he could so he wouldn't have to go out as often. Once he had everything he could just hole up somewhere and wait this out right?, it could be a stretch, but it was the best he had right now and with that plan set in his mind he went about finding him an extra weapon or two. Doing a quick limp around the store first, he came upon a pistol with a half a clips left in it probably dropped by a survivor that had found something better to use. A bent golf club after that was the only other thing he could find and would probably serve well enough for close combat.

After doing another search to make sure he had everything Nick loaded up with his new weapons and what was left of the health kit, taking a deep breath to prepare himself, and went back out in the zombie filled streets. No longer looking dead and dragging they noticed him immediately, the crunching of feet on broken glass attracting their attention to him. Using the rounds left in the pistol first, he emptied it and a couple shots of the M16 out on the wave, hoping he didn't run into any more like that before he found a place because he sure as hell didn't have enough firepower for something like that being around every corner. Checking to make sure he'd gotten all of them and there wasn't some straggler around to come running towards him at a moments notice, Nick sighed, speaking for the first time since he'd woken up.

"I know you can hear me, so why not help me look for a place to stay?."


	5. The Life

The sun was going down making it hard for him to see through the scope of the rifle as he did another sweep of the area, looking for an signed of zombified life that could be a possible threat to him. Seeing nothing but a bunch of lifeless corpses laying in blood puddles around him Nick seemed satisfied and took his eye away, blinking and feeling a soreness in his eyes from staring down the stupid thing for far too long. There was a loud crinkling sound as he shifted in his "chair".. a nice little thing constructed entirely out of money. Stacks upon stacks of hundred dollar bills, all neatly arranged and built up until they gave Nick a perch to sit on during the day when he had nothing else to do. It wasn't much in the way of comfort, but for a man like him, having a money chair was the best thing in the world.. and the one of the only real luxuries he had anymore.

It had been almost a month since his resolve to wait out the apocalypse had been planted firmly in his mind, and while Nick's living conditions weren't exactly the best, he always managed to live to fight these fuckers another day. He'd taken shelter in a bank, and after clearing out all the infected on the inside and after securing every door and seeing too it that every window was tightly locked down, he located the keys to the place and threw open one of the vault doors. Feeling very much like a kid in a candy store when the conman laid eyes on the vast amount of green stored there. Letting himself in, he spent a long time just soaking in the feel of being around so much money. But eventually he laid his gun down and felt his battered aging body start to demand some rest, he hadn't been sleeping well and now that he'd had enough a hint of that secure feeling Nick was ready to lay down and rest awhile. Going back to the barred door, closed it and made sure he'd be able to get back out easily before locking it and piling up some of the money in a corner. Actually throwing himself down on top of it and deeming this his new bedroom before falling into a deep sleep.

Feeling his stomach grumble, Nick exchanged the rifle for a axe and got up. Taking a quick walk across the roof of the bank and setting the axe down long enough to pick up a plank he had laying there, laying it out and scooting it forward a little at a time until it reached the roof of the building next door. Then he picked up his axe and put one foot on the wood, taking it slowly and one step at a time, knowing that if he fell from this height he'd kill himself once he hit the ground. But he had also walked this little makeshift bridge plenty of times by now, and was across it in a minute or less. Then it was a repeated process as he walked across that roof and picked up another plank, making his second bridge and finding himself on the roof of the grocery store on the corner.

He had started the bridge process back when there were hundreds of zombies standing around, just waiting to attack him if he went out onto the street, and at the time he wouldn't have been able to fight them all off. So he elected to do things this way instead, it was safer and the only thing he really had to look out for was a smoker or a hunter. After a couple of days it became a habit, and now he couldn't stop even though there was no zombies to be found and the streets were pretty empty. Climbing through the trap door in the roof and down the ladder, Nick took a look around the back room, making sure nothing had found it's way in and was close by before making a quick run through the after and past another door into the front area. The shelves had been fairly empty when he got here, and after a month of eating when he damn well felt like it, they were getting bare. He'd have to find a new source of food sooner or later.

Staying just alert enough to keep an eye for movement, Nick threw the ax over his shoulder and walk past the aisles he already knew had nothing on them. The snack foods, candy, and cereals were gone. He didn't dare try the frozen foods with the power being out for god knows how long.. so that meant the only thing he had left was the bakery, canned foods, and a few other non perishables. Not exactly a healthy diet, but as long as he wasn't starving he didn't care. He moved past the only jar of peanut butter, only thing at all really, to his left. That was going to be the very last thing in the building that he ate, seeing as it required him to drink a lot when he ate it. Instead moving on until he came to the soups, slim pickings as far as favors go, but it was something easy. Easier was better as far as Nick was considered, and he picked up a can of minestrone and a can of vegetable before turning around and heading back to his ladder in the back of the store.

At the base of the ladder he stopped to put one can in each of his suit pockets and scratch his head, wondering idly if it was possible to have lice nowadays, brushing off the lack of trouble getting the cans as a result of his sniping earlier. Getting the lice thing back on his mind, he climbed the short distance up and closed the door behind him. If he did have a case of the head bugs then how would he get rid of it?. There was no way for him to tell if they were normal or zombified, and even if he did they'd only be back because of his lack of use of sho..

no.. he couldn't even dare to think that word. It had been beyond way too long, and even daring to hint at the word might make him realize how much he missed...that... and realize how badly he probably stunk by now. Removing the planks he a crossed them, Nick made his way back to his 'home.' It was getting dark by now so he picked up the rifle and abandoned his post at the money chair to go through another door and down another ladder. Leaving the rifle at the base, he threw the ax back over his shoulder and made his way through the huge building, loafers causing the only sound as they made a tiny noise against the tiled floor with every step he took.

When he reached his vault, he took the keys out of his pants pocket and unlocked the door, leaving it open for now as settled down in his bed pile, setting the ax on the ground beside him. Taking the two cans out of his pockets, Nick opened the can of minestrone first. Popping the top off with ease and taking his first sip as he let himself relax a little. This was as good as things got in the zombie apocalypse.. but it still wasn't right, it was a very lonely life, and Nick had stopped talking to himself weeks ago. He missed the others.. Coach and Ro.. they had been some good company and had taught him it was ok to let others in and made him a part of something he'd never had. But even so, they weren't the thing.. the person.. he missed the most.

Ellis had been the one that could make him laugh even when he was so pissed he thought he'd tear the boy to pieces if he didn't shut up, or cry when nothing else ever had. He'd been the one that helped Nick take that final step into opening up, he'd been the first one Nick had let into his life.. and he had been the one Nick shot after he was bitten and infected because of him. Nick had never gotten his chance to say how much he cared for the kid, how he might have even loved him with every inch of his cold killer heart. But maybe the kid had known anyway.. why else would he have stayed with them even after death? protecting Nick with every ghostly power he had.

Something deep inside Nick hoped that if Ellis had known, then was this his way of showing he felt the same way?.. did he refuse to pass on because he loved Nick too and wouldn't stand to see him hurt because of these bastards?. Maybe, but if that was the case then why and even that oily scented hint of Ellis being around disappear?. Ellis didn't even come to him in his dreams anymore, all traces of the phantom boy had vanished. Did this mean he didn't care anymore? had the boy grown impatient with him after Nick had decided to stay in New Orleans?.

Choking a little, Nick set the half eaten can of soup down next to the unopened one and his ax. Laying down, he curled up into a ball and turned so he was on his side. Closing his eyes tightly, his lip quivered, and Nick fell asleep to the feel of a single tear running down his cheek.


	6. The Moment

_"Nick..."_

_"Nick..."_

_"Nick... man please you gotta get up.."_

"I don't wanna get up"

_"But you got too! they're coming!"_

"I don't care."

Nick turned his head to the left, where he thought Ellis was sitting, blood from the gash in his head starting to run down into his eye turning everything red for a moment before he wiped it away.

_"You gotta care!"_

"Why?"

Whatever made the mechanic's voice sound in his head went silent, and that meant he was either giving it some serious thought or he didn't have an answer. In Nick's current state he was more opt to think it was the later, and that was why he didn't want to get up. Why should he keep pushing on? his resolved had dwindled with the passing months, his will to live breaking away little by little with every house and store he checked. It wasn't hunger that ate away at him, most things might be spoiled by now but he was still living quite nicely off of non perishables and the not so far out of date. It wasn't the filth, or lack of shelter, Nick had gotten use to the dirt and the itching a long time ago. He wasn't exactly living in a bank anymore either, but he didn't have a problem keeping himself safe for the night.

No, what had been eating away at him all this time was the loneliness. Nick practically lived in New Orleans all by himself, he hadn't seen a single survivor once in these eight months, and he didn't get a single hint of Ellis being with him until about an hour ago. That was something that pissed him off too, if Ellis was going to be around when he needed him then why couldn't he be around all the time? because Nick could sure think of reasons to keep the ghostly boy by his side at all times. If he was just going to show up when his life was threatened then he didn't want Ellis coming around at all. It just pulled at Nick's heartstrings and made him miss what he'd never had the chance to have.

_"Why do you want me to go?"_

Ah, so it seems the mechanic could sense it about him.

"Because I can't take it anymore Ellis.."

He never could properly lie to the boy, there was just something about him that always made Nick want to tell the truth.

_"Your givin' up to easily! I thought you's better then that Nick.."_

"It's hard Ellis, a lot harder then anything else I've ever dealt with."

Well, maybe not anything, losing the boy was the hardest thing he'd ever had to deal with. But this was coming in a close second.

_"Your so close though! just wait a little longer.. please.."_

There was a sound above their heads, and with a groan Nick turned it to look up, there was a sound of hacking coughs and something being kicked. The object in question sailed over the edge of the roof and down to the ground below, landing on the concrete floor of the alleyway right at Nick's feet. Blinking away more blood, he found it to be a new gun, a M16.. and if he knew the luck of his encounters with the boy then it would be fully loaded.

_"Please.. they're coming"_

Ellis almost seemed to be begging, did he honestly care that much?, the sound of a thousand different foot steps and the unmistakable screech of a horde closing in on him proved Ellis was right. But after outrunning the tank and collapsing in this alleyway to let himself bleed out, Nick just didn't have the strength in him to get up.. and had let himself fall prey to these dark thoughts that had been gathering in the back of his mind.

_"Please Nick, I care.. I don't want ya to die, not yet.. you've still got a point to prove! and a good twenty years before you should even think of dying. You've still got a lot of conning and gambling and money making to do when things settle down. Please Nick, please please please get up.. for me if nothing else. Get up because I want you too, I want you to kill these sons of bitches!."_

Nick had known he'd only been able to outrun the tank that was about to beat him to death because of Ellis, and he knew the kid cared about him in some way if he was willing to be his guardian hick all this time.. but he didn't know he meant that much to Ellis. He'd never meant that much to anyone. The stuff about settling down and almost being there had confused him though, could Ellis really see so far into the future?. Is he keeping Nick alive now because of something that was going to happen to him later on?.

Nick sighed, a long tired sigh, and nodded. He could almost feel the relief from Ellis to his left. Leaning forward, he managed to grab a hold of the gun at his feet and pull it into his lap. Flopping back against to brick wall behind him. He tried, but he just didn't have to the strength to get up on his own. He wasn't sure if it was reflex, or instinct or whatever, but he reached out his right hand to have Ellis help him up.

That was when he felt something long and slimy wrap around his wrist.


	7. The Disease

Nick felt like his arm was going to be jerked out of it's socket, his back bouncing painfully against the building, the result of a sudden jerk that had him hanging in the air for a moment before slowly dragging him up the side of the building. His cry of pain drowned out by the sound of the commons' screeches. They hand found his location, and he could feel several of their decaying hands grabbing at his shoes. His feet twitched, feeble attempts at trying to kick them away as the smoker carried him further up the building...

And then there was a searing pain in his ankle and his head dropped down, laying eyes on the infected that had somehow managed to jump up higher then the others and grab onto him holding onto his leg and sink it's teeth into his ankle. Tearing away the flesh and chewing on the meat and muscle left under it while Nick finally found some kind of life in him, flailing about and growling in a bit and doing his best to shake the infected off of him.

But it was already too late, even though there was a pop overhead and the grip on his wrist. Even though him and the infected both tumbled to the ground landed in a heap on the ground it was too late, the damage had been done. He had honestly thought Ellis would save him again... do something to keep this from happening, hadn't his ghostly boyfriend told him that he had to live?.. but now.. it was too late.

The sound of gunfire and the shout of survivors fell on deaf ears. The infected that had cluttered the alleyway cleared out, running instead for the humans that were making so much noises and doing their best to thin the numbers. The disease coarsed through his veins, working fast on his battered body, Nick's eyes slid shut.

_"I'm sorry Nick.."_

somehow, the corner of his mouth managed to curl up in a small smile.

_"Don't leave me."_

It's too late El..

_"I love you."_

Nick couldn't answer, couldn't think, couldn't do anything. His body had almost instantly shut itself down and he just laid there like a dead thing. He didn't have the will to fight this, he just wanted to die. He wanted the pain to stop.. he wanted the infection to be over.. he wanted... he wanted... he wanted to be with Ellis again.

The gunfire faded, the survivors moved on, and Nick toppled into oblivion. His body grew hot, then cold, and for a time it almost seemed like this breathing stopped his chest no longer rising and falling in a shallow attempt to bring more of that life giving air into his lungs...

There was no one living around to tell Nick how long he laid like that. But Ellis was, even when it was so clear that the end had come for his love he remained in this life. A shimmering ray of hope that Nick would be alright, Nick had to be alright... he just had to be. Ellis would not leave him, not here, not like this..

For the first time in two days Nick's eyes opened, flew open actually, and that hope died. That shimmering light died, that overbearing scent of oil in the air died. The conman's body lifted itself off the ground and Ellis shut his eyes. A wail unlike that of any infected, human, or animal filled the air... then Ellis was gone.. Nick was gone.. there was no reason to stay here and torture himself like this.

It was too late.


End file.
